Drace
by airbendergal
Summary: The story of Judge Drace; how she defied all aspects of women in society, and her ascent to being Judge Magister. An in-depth feature about her life.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Early Days**

Women are known to be sensible, prim and proper. A woman are known to be the best sewers, handicraft-makers and hosts a party. They have always been known to wear the best clothes, jewelry and make-up and have an air of prowess about them. But Sarylla Drace knew one thing…

Women were always second to men.

The Archadian society had always been a paternal one. It was the year 687; a positive year for the empire. Archadia had welcomed the fourth Solidor emperor, a prince by the name of Gramis, after the untimely death of Emperor Rudio Solidor.

Everyone knew in particular who Gramis was. The only son of Emperor Rudio had its benefits. Gramis was well trained in every aspect; a smart military man and a generous, warm-hearted soul. Archadia had welcomed the emperor fairly well into society. The imperials had thrown a banquet for his coronation.

Sarylla Drace was one out of the seven children in her family. Surprisingly all of her siblings were girls. Her father, Reginald seemed very delighted to have a bountiful basket of little darlings, but he soon did realize that none of his children could be his heir. None of them would be able to pass on the family line. Sarylla's mother, on the other hand, was both a very lucky and unlucky woman. She was lucky to have daughters which she could train to be the finest ladies in all of Ivalice, teaching them the proper etiquette, from setting the dinner table to flirting with the young Archadian men. She was unlucky, in an aspect, that as she saw her little daughters grow up, they would always bicker and pull catfights at each other, they would always "borrow" each other's stuff and end up complaining that it broke.

_Kathlene, Benia, Anne, Istalia, Clarisse, Bernadethe_ and of course _Sarylla_ were the best of friends. They would spend the nights together in the family's terrace at the top of one of the highest buildings ever constructed, possibly second to the massive Imperial Palace. They would always watch the stars, and talk about how the cute boys over at the North Gardens glared at _Anne_ when she'd pass by.

Even through all of these times, Sarylla had always found herself different. She knew that she wasn't any other woman. She wasn't a woman that could be maltreated by her counterparts. Of course, she knew that women were always second-rate puppets, but she had wanted to defy that. Her heart was set on the Akademy, one of the greatest military schools in all of Archadia.

Sarylla had always been inclined to the boyish hobbies. Her father was her role model, for Reginald Drace was a lower judge in the Ministry of Law, the order of Judges. The Ministry of Law played an important part in Archadian society, for the empire's true power was its military forces. The Archadian army had gained much notoriety during the past years, after a series of political instability.

Sarylla found proper manners at the dinner table quite unpleasant. She had found curtsying at the right slant a durable challenge which she had to overcome every now and then, whenever the prince or the duke or even the senator for that matter, passed her by. And to be honest, she had never even liked the fact that women had to wear hundreds of layers under the inflated ballroom dresses. She had always scowled at the thought of putting heavy make-up and jewelry. These things were supposed to make a woman more attractive, but it was for mere purposes of boasting.

"You are supposed to be a role model for your younger sisters, Sarylla," her mother would always say when the two of them were alone. "You are the oldest, so you must show them what it is to be a woman. Tell them the right way to do it!"

"But mother, I can ride a chocobo, I can wield a sword," the daughter replied. "During summer I am always first to venture out into open waters while in Phon. Besides, if none of us are strong enough, how are we ever going to make it out on our own when we are older? Musn't we do anything about it?"

But Sarylla's mother just sighed and with a motherly gesture, placed her hand on her daughter's cheek. "These things are all _fine_, darling. But you must realize that women aren't supposed to do all of these things. Women do—"

"Do what?" the young lady answered back. Sarylla's brown eyes burnt with agony. "Are we all just concubines? What else is our purpose in life? Will men ever accept us as coequals? What if I showed them that women are as strong as men? Mother, I want to go to the Akademy."

Crisvette Drace's eyes widened. "The Akademy?" she hissed. "Impossible!"

"No, mother, it's not impossible," Sarylla said, holding both of her mother's tiny hand the clasp of her palm. "I'm almost done with my education, and I thank you and father much for that. But you told me to think well about what I want to do with my life. I have decided fair enough. Taking a military course is a noble job, is it not? Father is a lower judge in the Ministry of Law. He gets a decent salary, enough to fund our family. Look at him now, mother. He's a renowned judge. And think of it this way, if I work meticulously, I could work my way up to being a Judge Magister."

"But that will take years, Sarylla," Crisvette replied. "Think of all the hardships you will have to encounter. The Akademy does not accept women. If you are a culinary master, you can be one of the heads of the Iron Stomach, own your own restaurant, and prosper a family. If you become a soldier, you will throw your whole life away."

"Then that is one thing I will have to risk."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Sarylla, Absconder. **

"You idiotic child, what have you done this time?" hissed Sarylla's mother, grabbing her by the wrist. Crisvette raised up Sarylla's arm to see big, black bruises painted on her skin. "What happened to you?"

"It's not what you think, mother," Sarylla explained. "Mr. Williams, the man who lives on the second floor, attempted to pull Kathlene by the collar. I bet he was about to drag her into his apartment. It was a good thing I protected her, mother! If I had not brawled with Mr. Williams, something horrible could have happened to her!"

"Sarylla!" Crisvette hissed. "Do you know what you have done?"

The light-brown haired young lady, who had just finished her secondary education at one of the most prestigious schools in the city, bowed her head. She stared at the floor with disgrace. "I have saved my sister," she replied hesitantly.

"How foolish! How can you just assume things? You are thinking to rash! Mr. Williams is the architect and landlord of the building. He is _our_ landlord. To anger him is to risk our home. You brawled with him, Sarylla!"

"Mother, I—"

"You would do well to hold your tongue," Crisvette said coldly. "You are supposed to be a lady: poised, elegant, high-classed. The mere fact you thought ill about Mr. Williams shows your lack of breeding! What I want you to do now is go down and apologize to him, and I'll pray to Faram that he will merely rebuke us all."

"Yes, mother," replied Sarylla faintly.

Sarylla made her way down to the second floor using the lift. She had met some of her friends in the lift. Her neighbors waved at her and greeted her, only to get a faint, forced smile as a return gesture. The lift opened at the second floor, and at once Sarylla Drace could distinguish Mr. Williams' apartment. She was about to knock on the door when someone opened the door from inside. It was a beautiful, blonde lady who seemed to be a bit woozy. She was tipsy when she walked out, buttoning up her shirt.

_Mr. Williams is a bachelor. He doesn't have a wife._

"YOU!" cried a voice from inside. It was Mr. Williams, addressing Sarylla. "Child! You did not see anything, you hear? Go back to your apartment!" The landlord was holding a bottle of the most pungent Archadian Wine. His eyes were sore and his voice was rusty.

"You lustful man! How dare you do such thing! You ought to be punished for such vice!" Sarylla cried, rushing to the door. "I am going to report you to the night watch!"

Mr. Williams slammed the door in front of her face. Then, she had heard a painful scream from the inside of the apartment. There was a thud. Sarylla's eyes widened, and at once she knew everything had gone too quiet. The young lady opened the door and peered inside the dark room. The landlord was on the floor, convulsing. Sarylla screamed, alarming all the other people on the same floor.

Mr. Williams had taken in much more than he could.

A week after Mr. Williams' untimely death, the families that lived in the building which he had built were forced to evict. The government now owned the building, for Mr. Williams was the last of his family. His parents were long gone, he did not have any siblings and had no heir. The Drace family was searching for a new building to call home. There were two options: to spend the rest of their money on a high-rise apartment in the district of Tsenoble, or get a small apartment in the Rienna district and use the rest of their money for essential needs. Naturally, they picked the small apartment, for desperate times came desperate measures.

Little did Sarylla know that another tragedy was about to strike.

One night, she had heard her mother and father fighting in the hallway. Reginald's hoarse voice overpowered Crisvette's soft-spoken hisses. Sarylla stuck her head next to the door to hear the conversations.

"I am troubled by your own ignorance, Crisvette!" Reginald yelled.

"You should not blame anything on the children, Reginald," Crisvette hissed. "They have nothing to do with this issue. Now don't scream so loud or else they are bound to hear you…"

"I can scream all I want, you daft woman! I am growing old, and I do not wish to end my life this way. I have seven daughters and no sons. Women are always placed second in our society, you know that. Crisvette, you can not bear anymore. What am I to do with you?"

"Love me, no matter what happens. You married me for a reason, Reginald. You married me because you loved me. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in health and in sickness—

"I know that, Crisvette, but there is another reason. I will have to leave all of you. My journey will bring me to the western colonies. I will march to the Galtean Peninsula"

"What is it? Tell me! You promised you would not keep any secrets from me, from us."

"I WILL LEAVE TOMORROW," he raised his voice sternly. "You may try to do everything, but that will not stop me, my love."

Tears formed in Sarylla's eyes. She knew that if she opened the door, her parents would find out that she was overhearing their conversation. She rubbed the drops of agony of her eyes and burst into a soliloquy. "Then, there is only one thing to do…I will have to run away. There is no turning back now. There will be one big tide that will pass through this stream. I will have to take it to get to the ocean, or else I will stay in shallow waters. Dearest sisters, I wish you luck. I promise I'll come back, bringing you the honor that you well deserve."

Early morning, when the entire household was still asleep, Sarylla packed some of her clothes, got her pouch filled it up with some pinewood and sandalwood chops. She knew they would be worth something to the chops master in the armaments shop. Sarylla stuck her hand under her own bed and took out a small, cardboard box. She opened it She opened the door to her room, sneaked out into the hallway and eventually made it out of the apartment building.

A cold breeze blew through Sarylla's hair. She was out on her own now. Sarylla looked up at the early morning sky, which transitioned from the color blue to a soft gold, and smiled. "To the Akademy."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:** **Welcome to the Akademy**

"So you are saying that you want to get into the Akademy?"

"Yes, sir. I would do anything to get into the Akademy. It's the most prestigious military school in the whole Ivalice, if I may say so myself. Your school has trained men for decades, making them into the best Archadian Imperials in all of our empire."

Sarylla Drace sat adjacent to the headmaster of the Akademy, Chancellor Emra. The chancellor was quite old: his chin bones were jutting out and there were many wrinkles on his thin but long face. The man had a scar on the left side of his lip, a terrible wound caused by his own brother. Emra looked into Sarylla's brown eyes. She had cut her hair now. Sarylla's long, brown hair that resembled a waterfall was now a boy-cut do, something that looked much like the splintered edge of a stool.

"So your name is Drace, am I correct?" The chancellor was looking through some papers. "Is that your first name?"

"No, sir. My first name is…"

"Yes?"

"My first name is _Sarphina_, your honor," she replied, her voice a bit shaky. "Sarphina Drace."

"Well, in that case, Sarphina, you must know the Akademy's terms and conditions. I'm sure it has come to you that you are a woman. We do not accept women at the Akademy," Emra said, folding his fingers. Sarphina was about to rise from her seat, but the man continued. "If you wish to enroll at this Akademy, you will face hardships in the future. I cannot promise you that you will be able to survive the harsh and tiring schedules up ahead. You will wake up at five o'clock every morning and go to bed at seven in the evening. You will learn how to shoot, how to swordfight, how to cast the deadliest magicks on the planet. You will be discriminated by your fellow students, because _you are a woman_. Are you willing to pursue your application at the Akademy."

"Yes, sir. YES, I AM READY FOR ANYTHING," Sarphina responded immediately. Chancellor Emra was very much surprised at her determination. He gave a chuckle and stood up. Emra closed in on Sarphina and gave her a pat on the head.

"Very well, Drace," he said. "Welcome to the Akademy."

Sarphina bowed to Chancellor Emra with much reverence.

_The Sarylla that you know of is no more_

Drace entered the Akademy the next day. The lady entered in her new fatigue. The freshmen at the Akademy were forced to wear the ugliest armor. The uniform did not even deserve to be called an armor, for the only defense it had was the thick, leather chest plate. The gates of the Akademy opened, and Drace smiled. She saw the students of the Akademy. There were the freshmen (who were called maggots) just like her. All were in a triangle formation, practicing the cocking and spinning of the caliber 45 rifles. She saw many bare-chested men resting under a large Sandalwood tree, hanging their shirts and armor on its branches. Drace saw some students practicing black magick on targets. Some bearded men formed balls of fire in between their hands and shot it like a canon. The fireballs lit the sky and crashed into the targets head-on. She saw other men doing laps around the Akademy's parring square, and imperial mastiffs running around recklessly.

"I guess this is my new home from now on…"she said, laughing.

Drace walked into the Akademy center. She glanced around her, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. She then realized what the chancellor had said was true. There were no women in the Akademy. She would probably the first and the last one to enter its gates. This was her chance to prove to the whole Archadia that women were meant something. She was to prove that---

"ACK!" she screamed, as she tripped over uneven ground. Drace faltered forward, colliding with the pavement head on. Drace recovered easily, hoping that no one saw her fall. Too late! The school erupted into laughter. All the men laughed at her, taking a good look at the newcomer.

"That maggot is a woman," commented one of the bare-chested men under the Sandalwood.

"That's right, she is a _she_."

"What kind of woman, in her right mind, would come to Akademy? She must be a psycho."

Drace gave herself a face-slap in honor of her first impression. "I commend you, Sarylla. I do…"

"Hey you!" called a voice. Drace looked up and saw a fellow student. He was wearing the same bulky fatigue as she was, the only difference was that his chest plate seemed to be made out of fine gold. "Oi! I called you, maggot."

"I heard you the first time," she hissed. "Now what is it you want?"

"You're a freshman here at the Akademy, now are you?" said the student. He had jet black hair, that seemed to be tied in a small ponytail. "And I couldn't help but notice that you are a woman. What is someone like you doing in such a horrible place like this?"

Drace could feel he was staring at her chest. She shielded it. "I am here to become a judge."

The young man's grey eyes widened. "What an intriguing notion, girl."

"My name is not _girl_."

"I wasn't calling you by your name, girl. I was merely saying that you are a girl." The student seemed to be looking at her through the tip of his nose. His head was held high.

"What an arrogant fool," she whispered to herself. She examined the student, and saw that he was holding a walking stick that had a golden grip. Why would an Akademy student need a walking stick? Was he one of the nobles?

The black-haired man tapped her legs with the walking stick. "Are you an ardent, or a gentry?"

"A gentry," she replied. This pompous fool seemed to be very discriminative. "And you?"

"Isn't it obvious, girl? I am the product of four generations of good breeding. I am an aristocrat from the one of the noblest families in all of Archadia. You should be on your knees, right now. Your mother must have been a farmer to send you here to the Akademy." He whacked the back of her knees so she fell forward.

"ENOUGH!" boomed another voice.

The two maggots looked up and saw that a lower house judge had overheard their argument. Drace gulped. She hoped it wasn't his father that dropped by to check out the school.

"Stop fighting this instant, you two. Save your bickering for the briefing later," the judge said. Phew! It wasn't Reginald. "Zargabaath, you know better than to pick on a woman."

"Zargabaath?" said Drace.

"That's right. I am the second son of the current head of House Zargabaath. I'm sure you know about them. The Zargabaaths have power over the waste control and management of the whole Archades. We own sectors of the water works and electricity companies."

"Waste management? No wonder you treat people like trash," Drace had to snicker.

"What did you say?"

"Enough!" boomed the judge again. He pulled away Zargabaath by the earlobe, murmuring some harsh words into his ears. The lower house judge turned around. "Now, come along, young lady. Let us go to the Hall for your briefing."

Drace nodded.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Hail Archadia!**

While she was on her bed, all Drace could think about was her father and mother. She had missed them already. Being out in the world all alone, fending for herself was not such an easy task. She had already endured a day's suffering from the roughneck boys of the Akademy. Drace thought about how her mother would react to know she was missing from the apartment. Sarphina's eyes grew watery. She sobbed a bit, but stopped after realizing someone could have heard her crying. That was the least thing she would want to happen to her.

Drace shared a barrack with a couple of other first-year students. Most of them were weary of the weeks yet to come. She had made friends with two of her roommates: Mr. Auguste Pierpont and Thibault Fournier. The two other maggots seemed to treat her decently. They slept in their own beds parallel to hers.

Drace sighed. It was lights out by seven. All she could do now was sleep. Sleep. Sleep. It wasn't working. No matter how hard she closed her eyes, she could not sleep. Her mind was working overtime, thinking about many other things. The most profound thought of them all, though, was about that smarmy fellow named Zargabaath. She was scared of him the most.

"Arrogant little pest. He's a total spoiled brat. If you were to leave him in the woods alone, he'd probably die in a few minutes…"she said, biting the tip of her finger.

"Are you talking about that Zargabaath?"

It was Fournier. Drace rolled over to meet him eye to eye. "Yes, how do you know?"

"Everyone knows about Zargabaath. He's famous, perhaps, even _notorious_ in a sense," explained Fournier. "Don't you know about his brother?"

"He mentioned being the second son," Sarphina muttered to herself. "What about his brother?"

"The former Zargabaath was the valedictorian of the batch that had recently graduated. He was so high up. On the day of the graduation, Chancellor Emra told him he had been knocked off his throne by the second in line, a man by the name of Decurion. Anyway, the former Zargabaath was so angered by the news that he decided to place some rat poison in Decurion's drink. Once the man had finished his liquid, Decurion started shaking as if he had epilepsy. Zargabaath got the poison from Draklor. You know about Draklor. They have horrible rubbish stashed inside. All the toxic waste from Draklor passes through the Zargabaaths. And that means…"

"He murdered this Decurion?" asked Sarylla, her knees shaking.

"He died a day later, after intense procedures in the infirmary," Fournier replied. "You could ask me brother. He was Decurion's best buddy. Now Zargabaath has the whole world looking upon him. If he screws it up, they'll all laugh at him. That is why he picks on other maggots. To feel superior. It was a treat to see you enter the campus. He underestimates your capacity."

"And do you underestimate me, Fournier?" Sarphina asked.

"I haven't seen your skills, Drace. How am I to judge?"

Sarphina chuckled. Perhaps this school was not as bad as she expected.

The next day, all of the students had to wake up at five in morning. A resounding, irritating drill bell alarmed, waking up all the maggots in the barracks. Drace was first to get up. She was surprised to see that the other students, other _men_ were still dozing.

"Up! Up! Up!" yelled a voice from the outside.

Sarphina rushed to Fournier and shook him vigorously. "Fournier! Wake!"

The blonde opened his eyes a bit and groaned. He rubbed off the saliva that wormed down his chin. "It is morning already? Ugh…" Struggling to get up, he had a little help from his female friend. "Five o' clock. What sort of madness is this?"

"UP!" the voice boomed louder.

"Hurry, wake the others. We must be at the Hall in fifteen minutes. They instructed that of us during the briefing, remember. No time for showering," she said. Sarphina was wearing the same tunic since yesterday. She had not bathed since the other day. It actually felt quite amusing to her. She rushed to the wardrobe at the far end of the barrack and got out her bag. Inside her bag were the finest pair of fatigue. Emra had given it to her. She was able to change in three minutes sharp.

Sarphina ran towards the hall, making sure that she had a complete uniform. Gladly she did.

All the students at the Akademy were placed into blocks. The front most block were the seniors, the graduating batch, the Riots as the Akademy called them. Following the first block was the second, which composed of the juniors, or the Sabers. The second to the last block were the sophomores, or the Cocoons. They were called Cocoons because they were to emerge as beautiful _wasps_ by the next year. And lastly were the lowest of the low, the freshmen. The maggots.

All tired and hungry, the maggots struggled to get into perfect line. Some lower judges positioned them into straighter lines, whipping those who were not in the perfect formation. Sarphina made it to the back of the fourth line, looking anxious. She hoped she wasn't going to get whipped. She heard the crack of the whip from beside her. Thankfully it was some other kid who had gotten the punishment.

"Ha!" cried the man at the top of the stage. "Ha!"

"Ha!" replied the first three blocks. All the Riots, Sabers and Cocoons saluted Emra, who was conducting the ceremony. The maggots did not know the Akademy's protocol. They followed it up with a delayed. "HA!"

The other blocks laughed.

"_Pride of Valendia, O great Archadia! Your empire has no bounds! Mighty Archadia, O Wise Archadia, Your name, so sweet it sounds!"_ Emra started to sing in a loud, bass voice. This was the Archadian National Anthem. Sarphina knew this chant very well. _"Trust in God, Power in Arms, Our Emperor, we surrend to you! Hail, Lord Emperor, Hail our nation, we give ourselves what is true! Vis Imores!_"

When she was singing in a high soprano voice, all the people around her had to turn their heads. Saprhina had a beautiful singing voice. To reach the highest notes in such a sweet manner made even Emra stop in the middle of the song. Complete silence. Sarphina's eyes widened. She flushed a red color on her cheeks then hushed herself immediately.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:** **Touché!**

The next few days at the Akademy consisted of orientations to the different classes and curriculums. All the maggots underwent various surveys, exercises and assessments. Drace was lucky enough to make the top twenty in the fitness exam. For a woman, she was very athletic and capable of doing things such as lifting some weights. The teachers would always insist that she get special treatment and be placed in a different category than the men. She too, insisted on being placed on equal grounds with the opposite gender.

Drace was happy that there was a magick class. Not only did it teach basic magick spells, both black and white, but Green magick and Arcane magick. Drace was a potent caster, and her spells were very good in result. That made her the envy of all her fellow maggots. During Black Magick, some inferior students would approach her and ask for help; of course she would be the first to help them. The high-minded students, however, would lift their heads and growl at the sight of her.

Zargabaath was no exemption.

It was Tuesday, which meant sparring day. The students woke up later than the usual, to enable them to have greater muscular strength and endurance. All the students would randomly draw numbers. Each number would correspond to the opponent they would face.

Drace dipped her hand into the bowl filled with rolled papers. She hoped that she got an easy opponent. Closing her eyes, she wished for a good number. She opened her eyes and unrolled the paper. "Number 24!" She announced, so that all her classmates could hear her. The numbers that corresponded to surnames were arranged alphabetically.

"Number 24!" She repeated again. No one wanted to answer her.

"Ah!" cried a voice from the back of the line. A head peeped out of the straight, single-filed line. The man raised his arm. Drace had wanted to jump off a cliff after her opponent was revealed to her. "I'm 24! Zargabaath, sir!"

"You!" cried Drace. "Out of all of these people, I get the most arrogant fool in the school! What awful luck. I must have crossed a black coeurl or walked under a ladder."

"Well, if it isn't Little Miss Drace," Zargabaath replied, raising one of his brows. "Fancy you being here. I thought you would be dead by now. After so much training, your extremities must be hurt."

"Stop bickering, maggots!" cried the teacher, a buff man with gray hair. The teacher was Mr. Thuren, the Sword Arts teacher. "This isn't parley. You two can verbally fight another time. Right now, I want to see action! Get your fencing foils out and ready. When I blow my whistle, you may engage."

The two students entered the sparring "arena", a small practice area that was bordered by a metal picket fence. During the fight, no such student was allowed to step out of the arena; stepping out meant deductions in your grade.

Zargabaath was at the zenith of his arrogance. Sword fighting against a girl would be child's play! He remembered when he was a child: cousins Eura and Pollie would visit their estate and play with wooden swords. Zargabaath would always win against the twin girls. Men would always win against women. "Such inferior beasts," he murmured, stepping into the arena. With a hint of cockiness, he cracked his fingers and flexed his neck so that it made a cracking sound. "Getting ready for the fight, girl? I don't see you doing any warm ups. You would have a greater chance of defeat!"

Drace laughed. "I did more than ten laps out on the track this morning." She held the fencing foil up in the air. The sun's rays struck it and the reflection of the metal shined as if it was _Tournesol_. The young woman looked more confident than she usually would. It was a mystery for Zargabaath.

The whistle blew.

Zargabaath lunged forward, thrusting his foil in a single, sharp line. Drace parried the attack by taking a great step sideward and the blades met. The foils bent and shrieked as friction sparks lit the arena. The eerie sound of the blades cut abruptly as Drace flew backwards at an attempt of a counterattack. Drace placed her blade next to her chest and pierced it to her front. Zargabaath gasped and dodged the attack with lightning quick reflexes.

"Hmph, you are pretty good for a girl," Zargabaath said, beads of sweat running down his forehead. "Where did you learn such a trick? From an Archadian vulgar?"

Drace scowled. She lunged towards the man with such speed it was almost inevitable. The opponent blocked the foil with the middle of his foil. The sword almost reached the point of snapping. He held the sword in position and decided to pull off an illegal move. Zargabaath kicked Drace's abdomen with his left leg. She fell backwards, hoping to recover but Zargabaath pinned the tip of the foil on her throat.

The whistle blew two times.

Drace and Zargabaath breathed a sign of relief.

_You are pretty good for a girl_.

A week passed, and all the students were abuzz with excitement for the first field practice of the school year. It had been a month since Drace had gone to the Akademy. People were still mocking her. Most of these mocks were imperceptible, and only a few had gotten to her ears. Even if Archadia was a paternal society, the men still had _some_ respect for women. In the case of the Akademy, that _some_ meant five to ten percent.

"The first field trip will be out on a field mission in the Tchita Uplands," explained the drill sergeant, special hopelite, Fedrick Halm. "You will have to slay some coeurls, snakes and if you are lucky, the undead. Mandragoras are present in the Uplands this time of season. If you catch one of them, take off its head and bring it to me. You will get extra points. You are allowed to use Magick, but no Arcane Magick. I don't want to see supermen on the field, you understand? In real combat, there is no chivalry in using _Bubble_."

"Yes sir," replied the students.

Halm looked at each and every one of the students as he made his way through a straight, two-rowed formation of maggots. He stopped and looked at Drace. He smelled the air around her. "You seem familiar."

Drace's eyes widened and her heart started to pump vigorously. She said nothing.

"What's your name, maggot?" asked Halm.

"Sarphina," replied Drace. She hoped that information was enough for Halm.

"Last name?" asked Halm, a bit determined. He furrowed his brow.

"D-drace," she replied, her lower lip quivering. "Is that all, sir?"

"You do not question a superior!" reprimanded Halm. "That is all. You all look very familiar to me. Please, proceed to your tents. I shall see you next week. Until then, I suggest you practice your fighting and magick. Dismissed."


End file.
